Singing Dawn
by AriesOrion
Summary: Magic was sentinent. It was angry and powerful, so it acted upon the injustice done to her favorite childe, Arianne Lily Potter. Months later, Akagami Shanks finds a small emerald eyed child on an inhabited island in the Grand Line, and takes her on his ship. With Magic singing in her veins, how will the presence of Phoenix D. Arianne change the life of those she touches? Shanks/OC
1. Chapter 1 - Prologue: Magic's childe

Summary: Magic was angry and powerful, so it acted upon the injustice done to her favorite childe, Arianne Lily Potter. Months later, Akagami Shanks finds a small emerald eyed child on an inhabited island in the Grand Line, and takes her on his ship. With Magic singing in her veins, how will the presence of Arianne D. Phoenix change the life of those she touches? Shanks/OC

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Chapter 1 - Prologue: Magic's childe

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Staring at the Veil of Death in the Department of Mysteries, Arianne Lily Potter couldn't help but think that humans were fickle. She had saved them from Voldemort, defeated her worst enemy and demanded nothing but peace in return.

She had been naïve. Had trusted too much in something as intangible as faith. Arianne Lily Potter had learned of the human nature the hard way. In the tender care of her relatives, the Dursleys, she had learned of the depravity of humans. Learned that not even the word 'family' was a shield against bruised skin and broken bones.

It was when she was eight years old when something inside her had _roared_ in defiance, something inside her broke and shattered into a thousand pieces and Arianne was able to see the world for what it truly was for the first time. She had never felt lonely from that moment on; had sought comfort from the well of warmth inside her that refused to let her return to the coldness of lonely and bitter days and nights.

It had whispered into her mind without words, had taught her and protected her and in return Arianne had focused all of her hope and dreams and what she had not yet known to be love on that feeling that made the whole world seem brighter.

Once she was eleven, she had received the letter that changed her life, and finally Arianne was able to put a name to the feeling inside of her.

Magic.

It thrummed inside her veins and heart; pulsing like another organ, always making her days brighter. Magic did not lie to her. It wasn't jealous or manipulative, and did not only like her for her supposed fame.

As the years passes, Arianne found friends and confidants, overcame trials and dangers; yet not once did she forget the Magic that had given her hope and dreams where once she had nothing.

Even as she defeated Voldemort, and became the woman-who-conquered; Arianne did not care. Humans were fickle, she knew that intimately. Magic was constant. It was knowledge and feelings and wisdom and life.

So she wasn't as surprised as she should have been when after the war everything changed. Awe turned to fear, the seldom mistrustful glances multiplied until there was no one left but her very closest friends.

But they stayed. And for Arianne that was everything; so she gritted her teeth and moved on until few turned to none, all of them either taken by pressure or death.

''I am glad to leave this world full of narrow-minded fools behind.'' Arianne murmured, not paying attention to the eager expression of the people all around her clamoring for her execution.

''Arianne Lily Potter. You are hereby accused of planning to become another Dard Lord. Your execution will commence now.''

Arianne tilted her head, her emerald eyes boring into the brown ones of the unremarkable ones of the Ministry Official; saw the fear and ignorance, and felt nothing but pity.

''I pity you and everyone who cannot see the value of change. Of braving your fear and overcoming them. I hope that one day, you will all be able to see that. Good luck.'' Her voice rose and resounded through the tall room, sounding infinitely older and wiser.

There was nothing to be gained by staying. Perhaps she could finally meet her family in the afterlife, or at least her Godfather.

Nodding resolutely, Arianne Lily Potter stepped through the Veil of Death, leaving complete Pandemonium behind. The Wizarding World would never see the young woman again, and in time would realize the meaning of the words spoken before the accursed veil.

To brave and overcome your fears would become the motto of Hogwarts decades after her execution, in honor of the woman who helped change the Wizarding World with only a few words alone.

Arianne Lily Potter would never be forgotten.

* * *

Magic in the strictest sense was not alive. It was the energy living inside everything; from people to plants to the very earth humans were walking on. But Magic was connected to the very hearts and minds of humans, and it learned.

Over hundreds of years Magic had become imbued with knowledge and feelings, had adapted to the ever changing world, and like Hogwarts had become almost sentient.

Magic was not alive, but it was _there_. And even though it couldn't feel in the way that humans did, it knew that anger was. Magic had favorites, and it weren't those who learned the most magic or had the most power, but those who acknowledged her the most.

Arianne Lily Potter was one of Magic's favorites. A child that had loved Magic without restraint and did not stop even as the years passed.

So Magic was angry that her life was too short, riddled with dangers and betrayal. Magic was furious and powerful, enough to act on those unfamiliar sensations that it did not truly understand.

A new life. A better life. Far away from the World that had cut her life too short and brought her so much pain. A new beginning without burdens or fears.

Magic was powerful. It was life and would not be denied, so when Arianne Lily Potter passed through the veil, and was for a single fraction of a moment unbound by anything, Magic acted - and tore apart the walls between the worlds for the very same amount of time. And as Arianne disappeared from the world Magic reigned in supreme, it was satisfied.

Its childe would find what it had been searching for, and for Magic it was all that mattered.

Meanwhile on a small inhabited island in the Grand Line, a small seven year old child appeared in a small flash of light, and would soon open her emerald eyes to a world she had no knowledge of, without remembering anything but the strange warmth inside of her that she would always trust.

The only indication of who she was would be the golden locket hanging from her neck, engraved with nothing but her new name.

Phoenix D. Arianne

A girl reborn out of the ashes of her old life, to change the tides of this world for the better or the worse.

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**A/N This is merely the prologue... The following chapters will be around ~3000 words as usual... Hope you liked it!**

**C'ya soon**

**AriesOrion**


	2. Chapter 2 - Discovery

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or One Piece or any of the characters; nor do I make any kind of profit from this story.

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Chapter 2 – Discovery

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The wind was blowing almost gently against the main of the Red Force, the ship of the Red-haired pirates; the sky was a clear blue with no clouds in sight and yet the man clutching the railing tightly with one hand couldn't fully appreciate the current calmness of the Grand Line.

A straw hat sat upon the shockingly red hair, swaying slightly with the direction of the wind, together with the red sash the man wore around his waist. Red-haired Shanks was used to the difficulties of the New World; the impossibilities seemingly strung together in a myriad of coincidences, until logic was a concept long forgotten and discarded.

Shanks trusted his instincts; having learned over the long years of sailing, first on the Oro Jackson under Captain Roger and then as the Captain of his own ship that not doing so would more than often end up with ones rather gruesome death.

Shanks spotted the island growing ever closer, not even fighting the anticipatory grin that spread over his face.

He could feel the change in the wind, and that was perhaps what excited him the most.

''Benn, how do you feel about some adventure?'' Shanks grinned at his first mate, Benn Beckmann who only raised a questioning eyebrow. How Benn could express so much with only a single brow was something Shanks still couldn't fully understand after years of having known the raven haired man.

''It's an uninhabited island, Captain.'' Benn reminded the straw hat wearing man, but far too used to the strange whims of his Captain to be surprised anymore.

Shanks only tilted his head towards the island, holding onto his precious hat with one hand.

''Just a feeling, Benn. Just a feeling.''

* * *

_Pain. _

It hurt and ached and prodded at her body until she finally gave in and laid down on the soft earth.

_Hunger. _

It clawed at her stomach, and made her feel tired and weak and like taking another step was too much.

Those two feelings had become a constant for her since waking up on this strange island. Arianne – because that was what the pendant had said and it _felt_ right – couldn't remember a time when she had not been on this island with its tall trees and large animals.

She couldn't remember anything but that the warmth inside of her which was both strange and familiar. Sometimes she had the feeling that it had been different at one point in her life, but then her head would hurt and she would stop trying to remember.

Remembering hurt and Arianne disliked pain.

Wincing when her arm throbbed again as she tried to find a better position to sleep in, ignoring the orange glow of the setting sun with ease – because she had learned that sleeping at night was dangerous, so she had done it only once – and slowly closed her heavy eyelids.

She also knew that sleeping with injuries was bad, but right now she was too tired to care. Breathing hurt and moving hurt, and sleep was painless and numb.

(There was no one but her on this island, and she had long given up hope.)

* * *

Shanks grinned as he jumped off the ship onto the beach, the sand crunching beneath his feet intimately familiar to the pirate as he moved towards the tall trees littering the island in random patterns.

Gripping his sabre with his left hand, Shanks strolled through the shadowed forest, guided only by his instinct.

He could _feel _it-

Something tickling his Haki at the edge of his senses, yet too far for him to confirm its identity. Grinning at the challenge – no matter if intended or not – he increased his pace, keeping the larger creatures away with his Conqueror's Haki, no matter how fun playing with them might have been.

Shanks blinked as the descending sunlight hit the canopy of the ancient trees, and a beautiful pattern of leafs were painted on the dull ground. His head snapped towards the edge of the clearing as the curious sensation flickered and slowly weakened as he haltingly approached.

His whole body froze in shock as the form of a small child curled up beneath an imposing tree was revealed to both his senses and sight. It took him only a moment to comprehend that it was the little child that had somehow called him here, before he cautiously approached the shivering body.

Contrary to what the majority of Haki users thought, it was not only the manifestation of one's direct will, but also of one's unconscious or indirect will. At least that it what both his Captain, but especially Rayleigh-san tried to pound into him. Truthfully Shanks hadn't understood for the longest time.

Carefully projecting his own Haki to show that he was no foe, Shanks contemplated on the unconscious manifestation of Haki this little child had curling around her protectively. And even though the red haired pirate was more than aware that Haki could be incredibly diverse, he still had never encountered Haki that felt as _alive_, akin to a soothing melody and not an unyielding will.

As he insistent churning of her Haki slowly abated and Shanks cradled the little child in his carful hold, he could hear her Haki singing and humming in joy. The pirate captain saw the numerous bruises, scratched and wounds, felt how light the child was and how worn the clothes were and felt a brief flare of protectiveness take hold over him.

This child had been alone of this island for months judging by how malnourished she looked, and how joyously her Haki had reacted to another's presence. Shanks was no saint, but he had always had a soft spot for children, especially orphans, having had a difficult childhood himself.

Cradling the injured girl carefully in his arms, Shanks turned around intent on returning to his ship as soon as possible. He was no doctor after all, and the child clearly needed one. She was truthfully lucky to be alive, although Shanks was reasonably sure that her Haki was the only reason for that.

It seemed incredibly strong for a child, if rather raw; as if in her panic the child had pumped all of her will into surviving.

Shanks grinned, a strong one then. He did so love mysteries, and a child with incredibly strong Haki being stranded on an inhabited island in the Grand Line certainly qualified as one.

Now she only had to wake up.

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Benn Beckmann crossed his arms as he leaned against the wall inside the ship's infirmary, for once no cigarette hanging from his mouth. He had been rather surprised when his Captain came running out of the forest with a bundle in his arms that turned out to be a small child.

On the other hand it was his Captain he was talking about, so perhaps it shouldn't have been as surprising.

The aforementioned man was currently peeking over the doctor's shoulder who was busy bandaging up some of the child's wounds, most notably the huge gash of her left arm. Benn could admit to being rather curious himself; because while that island was not known for being particular dangerous, that was only compared to the rest of the Grand Line. And for a small girl to survive in that kind of environment for several months was nothing short of impressive, even taking in her Haki which was nothing short of a miracle.

''What's the verdict, doc?'' Shanks asked curiously, having stayed mostly silent during the whole time, a rarity for him, but he could admit to being worried. For that girl's Haki to have called to him from so far away; he didn't even wish to contemplate on how much desperation the small child had to have been in.

The Doctor, a rather tall middle-aged man with short brown hair and a small beard sighed tiredly, fastening the last of the bandages before looking at his Captain. ''Pretty bad, although it could have been worse. She's clearly malnourished and has cuts and bruises everywhere. The gash on her arm seems to be fairly recent, and there's no infection visible yet… What I'm worried about is her mental state.''

Shanks and Benn both grimaced, understanding the Doctor's fears. They had seen enough stranded survivors to know how much the loss of any human interaction could damage one's mind, especially a child's.

Any further contemplation was broken by a quiet sigh from the direction of the bed, and all three pirates stared intently at the small movement of the girl, and the slow fluttering of her eyelids, before they snapped open quickly and revealed to the three man the most intense emerald eyes any of them had ever seen before.

As the hazy green eyes gradually cleared and focused, none of the pirates were prepared for a panicked wave of Haki to wash over them probingly; simultaneously curing around the small form like a protective blanket.

And without thinking about it, Shanks flooded the small cabin with his own considerable amount of Haki, watching as the girl's eyes immediately focused on him, confusion and panic replaced by intrigue and some small parts of remembrance. Shanks smiled gently at the scared girl, relieved when her Haki retreated, apparently finding them no immediate threat.

''Hey, little one…'' the red-haired pirate shushed the child gently, almost not recognizing his own voice. ''Can you tell me your name?''

The small girl nodded hesitatingly, fingering a small golden pendant that Shanks had not noticed before, and all three pirates mentally crossed off the theory of voluntary abandonment as they took in the fine appearance of the jewelry, indicating that it had cost a pretty penny.

The raven-haired girl turned the pendant around, pointing at a small inscription that Shanks had to squint at to read, since he was still hesitant in approaching the traumatized girl too closely.

''Phoenix D. Arianne?'' the pirate captain murmured absently, already deep in thought, mind flickering with possibilities. Who would have thought that he would meet an unknown D in such a fashion. Shanks certainly hadn't. The red-haired man glanced at his first mate, whose expression was still calm and composed, although he was able to spot the brief surprise still visible in those dark eyes.

''Well then, little Aria. Welcome on the Red Force.''

Shanks announced to the wide eyed girl, childish grin fixed on his youthful face. He had the uncanny feeling that somehow this meeting was not by mere chance, and he was excited by what revelations it would bring.

D's were notoriously interesting after all, and Shanks could admit to missing the unpredictable chaos the bearers of that initial left trailing after them like an overeager puppy.

It seemed like his small vocational trip to the East Blue would turn out far more interesting than previously imagined.

* * *

Arianne didn't know that to think about the cheerful man with the bright red hair – and why did that make her chest feel tight and her eyes sting - whose laugh reverberated around the small wooden room she had woken up in.

He was dangerous, she realized. But then the warmth told her that yes that man was dangerous – incredibly so – but not to _her_. It truthfully confused her, but then his eyes would lit up, crinkling upon their edge and even the stern faces man leaning against the wall would relax, and she too would feel safe once again.

She hadn't spoken a word yet but then again the three man she was still observing didn't seem to mind, talking and joking about some previous adventure they apparently had been in only weeks ago. She knew that they were trying to reassure her without seemingly crowding her and she appreciated that.

''…and then do you remember how those damned rookies turned tail and ran like the devil was behind them?''

The dark-haired man – Benn they called him – snickered quietly, amusement plain on his face as he recalled that particular detail.

Arianne furrowed her brows, having missed most of the story and finding that entirely unpleasant.

Like those big spiders that she despised.

''What happened then?'' Arianne's quiet voice drew three pairs of eyes towards her, and she resisted the urge to hide beneath the comfortable blanket.

''Well, little Arianne ….''

''Aria.'' Arianne cut the red-haired man – Shanks – off with a displeased frown, somehow not liking the sound of her full name.

Shanks only smiled gently, glad that the little girl had finally started talking to them and that she could still do so. Some victims of being stranded could no longer even remember how to. ''We brought the huge treasure back to our ship and decided that a small vacation was in order, and during the trip we came by your island.''

''What kind of treasure was it?'' Aria questioned curiously, hoping to distract herself from the lonely and dark place her mind seemed to be. Because she remembered nothing but gleaming teeth and predatory eyes and that no matter how far she ran the animals always managed to catch up to her. And while she could knock them out by using the warmth inside of her, it always left her feeling tired and drained, stumbling from one resting place to another.

All three pirates silently decided to indulge the small girls curiosity for now, recognizing the lurking shadows in her brilliant eyes, and hoping that they could chase them away.

The Captain of the red-haired pirates grabbed a wooden chair and with an entirely inappropriate amount of cheer began regaling the intriguing child – who he already wanted to protect and shield from all harm and wasn't that surprising? – with several of his adventures.

Questioning the child was after all not as important as making sure that those lurking shadows and crushing loneliness disappeared from her eyes; and while Shanks had never imagined himself ever entertaining a child – no matter how much of a soft spot he had for children – he found that this time he truly didn't mind.

Phoenix D. Aria was entirely too special for that, and as he saw how she unconsciously moved closer to him throughout the next minutes - seeking his protection – a genuine smile tilted his lips until a wide grin split over his face and the sound of tinkling childish laughter filled the small room.

Unbeknownst to all of them, Mother Magic smiled as she felt her childe be happy for the first time in far too long.

Phoenix D. Aria had finally stared her long journey; and this was merely a starting point.

Everything else would follow in time.

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**A/N So sorry that it took so long, I had to take my A-levels and then my laptop broke down, but my updates in general should return to being more frequent now. Hope you liked the new chapter!**

**Thank you to all of those who reviewed, favorited or followed my story!**

**If possible leave behind a review!**

**C'ya soon **

**AriesOrion**


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